User:PompeoJ

Blogging is one of the newest and most popular platforms for writing. Owning a blog allows the user to express themselves and their interests on a public forum. They can reach out to other people with similar interests, opinions, lifestyles, or those with different ones.

According to blogger.com's mission statement:

 "A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules. In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not. Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others. And we're pretty sure the whole deal is just getting started."''

History
Blogging was first developed in 1994 by a Swarthmore College student named Justin hall, when he created the website Links.net. His website was a personal online diary of his personal life. Most blogs remained, as Justin’s was, a personal diary or journal with the creation of free blog creation services, until about the year 2000 when blogs turned from personal diaries to personal journalism and eventually mainstream journalism such as AndrewSullivan.com

In 2002, advertising on blogs sparked a new revenue stream for online journalists and bloggers. The following year, gossip blogs and political blogs began to flourish, paving the way for such bloggers as Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington. By 2005 blog advertising became a million dollar industry. After fourteen years, blogging has still not even come close to reaching its full potential but it has created a brand new interface through which users can reach millions of people electronically at their fingertips.

By 2005 blog advertising became a million dollar industry. After fourteen years, blogging has still not even come close to reaching its full potential but it has created a brand new interface through which users can reach millions of people electronically at their fingertips.

Timeline
The New York Magazine writer Clive Thompson created a timeline of the history of blogging.
 * January 1994 Swarthmore student Justin Hall creates first blog ever, Links.net.
 * December 1997 Online diarist Jorn Barger coins the term “Weblog” for “logging the Web.”
 * April 1999 Programmer Peter Merholz shortens “Weblog” to “blog.” * August 1999  Blogger rolls out the first popular, free blog-creation service. * January 2000 Boing Boing is born.
 * July 2000 AndrewSullivan.com launches.
 * February 2002 Heather Armstrong is fired for discussing her job on her blog, Dooce. “Dooced” becomes a verb: “Fired for blogging.”
 * August 2002 Nick Denton launches Gizmodo, the first in what will become a blog empire. Blogads launches, the first broker of blog advertising.
 * December 2002 Talking Points Memo highlights Trent Lott’s racially charged comments; thirteen days later, Lott resigns from his post as Senate majority leader.
 * December 2002 Gawker launches, igniting the gossip-blog boom.
 * March 2003 “Salam Pax,” an anonymous Iraqi blogger, gains worldwide audience during the Iraq war.
 * June 2003 Google launches AdSense, matching ads to blog content.
 * August 2003 The first avalanche of ads on political blogs.
 * September 2003 Jason Calacanis founds Weblogs, Inc., which eventually grows into a portfolio of 85 blogs.
 * January 2004 Denton launches Wonkette.
 * March 2004 Calacanis poaches Gizmodo writer Peter Rojas from Denton. Denton proclaims himself “royally shafted” on his personal blog.
 * December 2004 Merriam-Webster declares “blog” the “Word of the Year.”
 * January 2005 Study finds that 32 million Americans read blogs.
 * May 2005 The Huffington Post launches.
 * October 2005 Calacanis sells his blogs to AOL for $25 million.
 * December 2005 An estimated $100 million worth of blog ads are sold this year.
 * January 2006 Time leases Andrew Sullivan’s blog, adding it to its Website.
 * February 2006 The Huffington Post surges to become fourth most-linked-to blog.

Monetary
The popularity of blogging has become so high that it is now a viable career option. Companies pay popular bloggers to place advertisements on their websites, review their services or products or critique their food. Blogs can be used to write reviews for movies, television shows, art, restaurants and many other areas.

Social
Blogging is a great form of social communication. Blogging sites are a great way for bloggers to express themselves and for their friends to read entries and comment about them. Many bloggers use their blogs to share recipes, stories, advice, or opinions with others, both friends and strangers.

Personal/Psychological
Having a blog can also be a great way to get one’s thoughts out in an organized, archived fashion, like an online journal. Privacy settings can be adjusted to ensure that no one else can read a user’s blogs if they wish. Blogging can relieve anxiety and stress as well as allow the writer to express themselves publicly without having the pressures of speaking in front of people. Reading other people's blogs can create a sense of connection and belonging to a group of people with similar interests and opinions. Psychologists have proven that putting one's thoughts and emotions down on paper can be a great outlet for stress and allows the reader to express themselves without there being any repercussions.

Professional
Many people in the professional world use blogs to exhibit progress on a current project, share new business strategies and ideas with clients, bosses, and coworkers, and Create dialogue between company and customer.

According to businessblogging.net, "Business blogging increases search engine visibility through keyword focus in a text based presentation... "A blog can be a product announcement, so long as it says so right up front. Mixing press releases, product announcements, research and development progress with personal growth in a business will help give readers some insight they can not find anywhere else." Unlike all other forms of print media, a business blog is an informal marketing medium where one can lower their guard and speak from the heart. The comments and feedback received will go a long ways towards increase customer connections and higher search engine rankings."

Educational
Blogs are becoming a strong tool in the education system. Professors and teachers can use blogs as a syllabus and guide for classes as well as a place to answer questions about the subject matter that students may have. Having students maintain a blog is a good way to save paper when handing in assignments, allows students to receive immediate feedback on their entries, and read other students’ work with the click of a mouse. Educational blogs are a great organizational tool that is slowly becoming better utilized in classrooms worldwide.